


Explain To Me A Thing

by inkandwords



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Background Relationships, Established Relationship, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Gen, M/M, Multi, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, atsu fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 00:49:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1449166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkandwords/pseuds/inkandwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After eleven years, Aomine's love life is put under the microscope after his long-time partnership ends. And who better than his ten year old daughter to ask all the wrong... and right questions?</p>
<p>Loosely based on the idea behind the movie <i>Definitely, Maybe</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The One With All the Questions

**Author's Note:**

> The outline for this is still being finished, so forgive me for any inconsistencies down the road. ahaha Loved this movie and thought it would be a hilarious prompt for some awesome fluffy moments and laughs. xD
> 
> -H

If someone had told him ten years ago that he'd be sitting in an empty stadium contemplating the meaning of life, he probably would have given them that signature smirk before some arrogant comment rolled off his tongue in an automatic response. 

He was Aomine Daiki, after all.  He didn't need to contemplate anything. 

But as it turned out, the last ten years weren't as cut and dry as it all seemed. Aomine thought his life would be mostly complete, pieced together through years of trial and error, through events and people, through moments leading up to the big picture. It was the big picture, all right. Just not the one he necessarily pictured for himself. 

His phone rang, the sound shrill and echoing within the large space. It bounced off the walls, filled the air around him, and interrupted the thoughts crowding his mind as he leaned back in his seat. It wasn't the first call from the same number that day; in fact, it was one of many and though he felt bad about letting it go to voicemail, he needed more time to prep himself for what would happen after the call. With the device wedged between his ear and shoulder, he propped his feet up on the seat in front of him, exaggerating a yawn before addressing the caller. "Sorry I didn't pick up earlier. I was just finishing up here. Did school let out already?"

"Dad, school let out hours ago."

"Hah? Did it? Must have lost track of time."

"Yeah, sure. Happens a lot with you, doesn't it?"

"Aoi, c'mon. Gimme a break. You know what today is."

"I know. Moving day. Which is why I'm going to let you make it up to me by letting me pick what we're having for take out tonight."

"Fair enough." Aomine paused. He wanted to ask the question, the one question he'd been mulling over while he hid away in the empty stadium. Aoi wouldn't judge him for it; she was probably waiting for him to ask because she's just as perceptive as someone else they both knew. It was on the tip of his tongue, but all he managed was a tired sigh before he tipped his head back and closed his eyes. 

"You should just spit it out."

It was moments like these when Aoi's perceptive nature scared him just a little. "Spit what out?"

"What you're sighing about. Although I have a pretty good idea what it is."

"Well, if you already know, there's no point in my sayin' it, is there?"

"Dad, sometimes you're such a stubborn shit."

"Hey! Language, huh? Christ."

"Says the one who uses the Lord's name in vain."

"Not my Lord. I'm Buddhist. Not your Lord either, by the way."

"He could be. All that stuff sounded really interesting in the religion portion of classes this semester. I might convert. You never know."

"You're ten. What do you know about religion?" Aomine snorted and wound his hand in the air, a gesture Aoi couldn't see, but it was something he did when he had other things on his mind and wanted to wrap the conversation up. "Anyway, can you just get to the point already?"

"No, Papa didn't ask about you. Now, be a responsible parent and come pick me up already. Yuki's parents have an art gallery thing they're going to and I don't want to be left with their maid."

Aoi's words sunk in, leaving a strange, hollowed feeling in his chest. It didn't surprise him; it didn't even make him sad, really. It just... _was_. "Yep. Be there in twenty."

 

* * *

 

 "Of all the places you could've picked, how did I know you were gonna go with Maji Burger?"

Aoi shrugged and took a sip of her shake. "I wanted a burger and a vanilla shake. Besides, you inhaled your teriyaki burger."

"Hey, I never said it was a bad thing." Aomine swiped the teriyaki sauce from the corner of his mouth before balling up the napkin and throwing it into the wastebasket without bothering to see if it went in. "So are you gonna tell me what that whole thing at school was about or am I gonna have to replay the voicemail your principal left me?"

"It was nothing."

"Right. So you decked that kid in your homeroom for nothing."

"Yup! He totally deserved it, the little shit." The latter part of Aoi's response came out in a low mutter, barely audible, and Aomine would have missed it if his attention hadn't been entirely focused on his daughter's transparent expression. "I don't get why they have to call you anyway. It's not like I put him in the hospital or anything. You used to beat up people in high school and I'm sure you didn't get stupid principals calling Gram and Grandaddy."

"Why'd you hit him, Aoi? I thought we talked about fighting at school."

"He deserved it, okay? I don't want to talk about it. Besides, Papa's better at this stuff than you anyway."

That stung. While Aomine knew she was right, hearing it so bluntly didn't make it hurt any less. 

"Ouch. I guess I deserved that, eh?"

 "I'm sorry. That was mean. It was true, but still mean." Aoi sighed, her brows furrowing together in the way that they did when she was contemplating something. Satsuki always said she looked more like Aomine when she made that expression and, looking at her now, he couldn't help but agree. "You're going to think it's stupid. Or not. I don't know. Maybe you'd think the little shit deserved to get hit in the face by a girl."

"Munchkin, language."

"Sorry..."

"Maybe, maybe not, eh? Won't know 'til you tell me."

"We had this lady come in during Health period. They said she was a doctor or a specialist or something. She came in to talk to us about family values and, um," she said, pausing to throw an awkward glance at Aomine before averting her eyes. "Sex."

"Hah?! What the hell kind of a lesson is that? You're ten, for fuck's sake!"

"Dad, language."

"Right, right. Sorry." Aomine clenched his fists and took a deep breath before he resumed unpacking. When he was younger, he probably wouldn't have given the topic a second thought. He'd learned from an early age what sex was about and by the time he was in high school, he had his own sizable collection of questionable magazines. But he supposed it was a testament to how much of an old fart he'd become in the last ten years that finding out his adolescent daughter was being exposed to those topics at such a young age kind of appalled him. "Okay, so some lady came to talk to your class. How exactly did it go from that to you introducing your fist to someone's face?"

Aoi pursed her lips, her eyes especially focused on the video game cases she was currently taking out of the storage box in front of her. She seemed pensive about whatever it was that was bothering her and for a moment, Aomine had a brief bout of nostalgia, the look on her face reminding him of someone else. "He said we weren't a real family. The lady was talking about how babies were made, how a family had a mom and a dad, so I said it wasn't true, that my family had a mom and two dads. They all looked confused, so I elaborated." She shrugged, keeping her eyes glued to the cases she was now stacking on the black shelves next to the television set.

"Ah, shit." This time, Aoi didn't bother reprimanding him. 

"I don't see why it's such a big deal. You and Papa loved each other, right?"

"Yeah, kiddo," he said, his expression softening when he saw the way her face fell. Putting the dishes away before picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder, he made his way into the bathroom to start her bedtime routine. Aoi gave a protesting squeal and erupted into giggles. "C'mon, enough questions. Time for bed."

"But if you loved each other, why couldn't you have worked things out?" Aoi asked between brushes, toothbrush grasped tightly in her hand. 

"I'm pretty sure 'enough questions' means I ain't answerin' any more of 'em." He chuckled and set his own toothbrush in the dispenser before rinsing his mouth. 

"I think you should tell me the story of how you met and fell in love." He shot her a look and she grinned at him, the sight like staring into a mirror. "You said no more questions. There wasn't anything in there about making requests."

Aomine sighed. "Technicality. Ya know, you're much too smart for your own good."

"I've been told that. It's probably something I got from Mama Satsuki," she said, the grin widening.

"How 'bout I tell ya when you're older?"

"How about you tell me now?" The grin was still there, but now it was accompanied by that mischievous twinkle that reminded Aomine of someone he knew a long time ago. It made it hard for him to say no, but he managed anyway.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're pretty damn persistent?" He bent low to give her the customary piggyback ride into her room.

"All the time. So you'll tell me?" she asked, hopping off his back and falling into the pile of blankets and pillows and stuffed animals strewn all over the bed. 

"Aoi." He sighed again, perching on the edge of the mattress as he ran a hand down his face. It was pretty obvious why she wanted to know. And having to revisit that road wasn't only a sore spot for him - he knew it would hurt her, too. "It's not gonna change anything. Ya know that, right? We're not... it's not gonna change anything."

"How would you know that, though? It could! Maybe if you tell me how everything happened, you'd realize what went wrong and you could fix it." Her lip jutted out in that sort of pleading way that tugged on heartstrings he didn't know he had until she was born. But Aoi knew what she was doing and he knew he was going to give in eventually.

"There's no fixing it, kiddo. There just... _isn't_. Now, bed, huh?"

"No! I want to know. I _need_ to know. I need to understand how it didn't work even if you two loved each other. Please?"

He looked at her, that same resolution, the unshakable determination etched on her face something he knew she had gotten from him. And so after another moment of hesitation, he exaggerated an exhale and finally nodded. "Fine. But if I'm gonna tell you the story, I might as well go the whole nine yards. Heads up, though. I'm changing all the names just 'cause."

"Will you tell me which one Papa is?"

"If I tell ya, what's the point of changing all the names, eh?"

"But then how am I supposed to know how it all went wrong?"

"You're smart. I'm sure you'll figure somethin' out. Now get comfy." Aomine waited until she situated herself on the bed, propped up with her dark blue eyes trained intently on him. He chuckled, a lone brow rising as he took in her eager expression. "You about ready now?"

"Yup! You can start!"

"Such a troublesome kid. Heh." He took a breath and cleared his throat. "All right, all right. How to start... hmm... oh, I know. Once upon a time, when Dad wasn't as old as rocks..."


	2. The One with the Sun and the Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine begins his thrilling tale of a time before "Dad wasn't old as rocks..." and revisits his Teikou days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Certain names are going to be changed throughout the story to keep with the theme of the movie. I promise, for those who haven't seen the actual film, that there's a reason for this lunacy. So.... Tetsu becomes Tatsu because reasons. Kise stays Kise, also because reasons. ;D
> 
> Hope you enjoy the second installment! 
> 
> -H

"So, you know I played basketball in middle school, right?"

"Of course! It's where you met Papa and Mama Satsuki and everyone!"

"Uh huh. I used to be pretty damn good, even back in the day. Heh."

Aoi wrinkled her nose and gave him a reproachful look. "Are you going to swear the entire time you're telling me story? You're not setting a very good example, you know."

Scratching the back of his head, Aomine sighed and mirrored her expression. "Oi, you're the one that wanted me to tell you the story. There are gonna be times when I'm gonna use words that I wouldn't otherwise use in front of you. Roll with it, huh? It's not like you're gonna repeat this story to anyone else anyway, right?"

"..."

When Aoi remained silent, blinking those big blue eyes at him, his brow rose to elaborate the response he wanted. "Right? 'Cause if you're plannin' on runnin' with this story, we can stop right here."

"No! I won't tell anyone! Promise! You're so easy to rile up sometimes, Dad." She resumed the overly angelic grin and urged him to go on. "Okay, okay. Continue! What about middle school and basketball?"

"Well, I had this shadow."

"Like a stalker?"

"What?! No! Not literally someone who followed me around like a shadow. What's the matter with you?" Aomine laughed, trying to picture Tetsu stalking him like a fixture he couldn't get rid of. "It was nothing like that. It was more like a... shadow? It's hard to explain it, but he pretty much helped me to be the player I am now."

"I think I kind of get it, but okay, go on. Who was this 'shadow'?"

"His name was Tet- ah, I mean Tatsuya," Aomine said, idly scratching his cheek. "So, anyway, we were on the same team in middle school and for some reason, I just really took to him. He didn't have much of a presence. Actually, he didn't really have any at all. But still, there was something about him that got my attention."

"Did you always like boys, Dad?"

"Hah?" The question caught Aomine off guard. He'd never really thought about his sexuality that way, whether he liked boys or if girls were more his style. There were only really three people in his life who had ever trekked over into relationship territory and it just so happened that they were all guys. He stared at Aoi as he mulled this over. "I dunno. Guess I never really thought about it like that. Heh. I mean, I used to get into trouble with Okaa-san when she found all the magazines, so I guess I like both?"

"Yeah, I remember Gram mentioning those." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he couldn't help but laugh. "She made me promise that I'd never get a boob job ever."

"Ah, yeah, listen to your grandma. Grandma knows what she's talkin' about."

Aoi hit him with one of her stuffed animals before joining in on the laughter. "Hypocrite."

"Hey! I'm allowed to be if it means I won't have to put up with guys ogling my daughter like that, eh? Besides," he said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ears. "You don't need that shit. You're gonna knock 'em dead in a few years and I'm gonna have to beat 'em away with a stick anyway. Can't be helped. You look like me."

"Oh, Dad!" She smacked him with the stuffed animal again, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes. Aomine could see how hard she was trying to keep from laughing and he got hit with a pang of something. She hadn't laughed like this in weeks, not since they told her about the separation. He supposed if talking about it with her would help, there wasn't any harm in indulging. 

"Okay, so back to Tatsu..."

 

* * *

"Your passes are insane! Where'd you learn how to maneuver the ball like that?!" Aomine offered his fist in congratulatory awe.

Tatsu shrugged and returned the gesture with that same impassive expression he always wore. "Akashi-kun and I had a talk. I knew I wouldn't be able to shoot or dribble like the rest of you do. So I focused on what I could do instead of what I couldn't. Is it effective enough to make a difference during a game?"

"Are you kidding me? That was awesome! I can still feel the sting in my hand." Aomine's excitement was more than noticeable. He slung an arm around the smaller boy and threw his head back, laughter bubbling until Tatsu finally joined in, the sound less boisterous as the darker male, but there nevertheless. "The other guys won't know what hit 'em. Oh man! We're gonna be unstoppable!"

"We already are, Aomine-kun."

"Well, you know what I mean, huh?" Before Aomine realized what had happened, he was kissing the other boy, his eyes widening to match Tatsu's when the action was returned. 

"..."

"I- look, I don't know why I did that. I shouldn't have. People are still  hangin' around and someone might see, but I was pretty damn excited about-" His explanation was cut off by another kiss initiated by the other boy this time, the words dying in his throat as he eased Tatsu against the wall, forearm casually braced against the flat surface. 

 

* * *

"Wait, he showed you a pass and then you kissed him? I didn't know basketball worked that way, Dad." 

"Just lemme finish, will ya? How am I supposed to tell you a story when you're cuttin' me off right in the middle of it?"

"I'm just trying to iron out the details, okay? Sheesh. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"Boxers. Girls wear panties and I'm obviously not a girl."

Aoi rolled her eyes. "You say it all the time! To girls  _and_  boys. So tch."

"Sometimes, you're a little too much like me, eh? Christ. Okay, so where was I?"

"Kissing a boy." Aoi puckered her lips to mock him and only stopped when Aomine threatened to hit her with her own stuffed animal.

He exaggerated a sigh. "I swear, if you weren't my kid..."

 

* * *

 It went on like that for a long time. Hard as it was to keep it a secret from everyone, especially their teammates, they both agreed that it would be better to keep a low profile just in case whatever was going on between them made it weird for the rest of the Teikou team. Aomine still wasn't sure what exactly _it_  was, but whatever their hidden locker room kisses and weirdly comfortable moments of hanging out amounted to, it made them stronger, both as friends and as a formidable force on the court. 

He didn't agree with a lot of Tatsu's ideals. In fact, he didn't agree with any of them at all, which made it all the more surprising that their differing styles of basketball worked so well together. The smaller male, with his sky-blue hair and quiet smile, wholly believed that making a team stronger meant that they actually had to play as a team, that they were each a part of a puzzle and only when they worked together did they play their best.

Aomine had other ideas.

"I think I'm gonna skip practice."

"But you won't know how to coordinate with the others if you don't come. Our next game is in two days and you know how Akashi-kun feels about winning," Tatsu said, breaking the popsicle he held in two before handing the other half to the ace. 

Aomine walked ahead, idly licking the popsicle while he mulled over Tatsu's reproachful statement. Practice led to him getting better, faster, stronger; he was already miles ahead of everyone else and after a while of being in his own head, he came to the conclusion that practice was a waste of time. Basketball wasn't fun anymore and if it wasn't fun anymore, what was the point?

"I was thinkin' of skippin' that, too. They'll win without me anyway."

"Aomine-kun, you know you can't skip the game. You need to-"

"Ehhhh... why do you always have to nag me about everything? I don't _need_ to do a goddamn thing. I don't _need_ to go to practice. I'm already stronger than anyone on the team. Actually, pretty sure I'm stronger than anyone on  _any_  team. And I already know we're gonna win, so what's the point in being there when- _OI, OI, OI... WHAT THE HELL?!_ " Something cold slid down his back, sticky and wet, and jarring his thought process enough that he momentarily forgot what he was saying. 

"You're going to practice or I'll tell Momoi-san where you hide your Mai-chan magazines," Tatsu said, deadpanning despite the fact that he had just dropped his own popsicle into the back of Aomine's shirt. He walked past the ace without another word as Aomine struggled to get the melting dessert out before it completely liquefied. 

"What do you mean you'll-"

But Tatsu was already gone. 

 

* * *

"I thought you liked basketball, Dad?"

"I do. Loved it, as a matter of fact. Still love it."

Aoi squeezed a pillow pet against her stomach and flopped forward, her expression contemplative. "But if you loved basketball, how come you didn't want to go to practice or play in the games? What's the point of loving something and being great at it if you're going to be a big grump and not play? It seems like a pretty easy decision."

"Not everything's black and white, y'know."

Her lower lip jutted out, brows pinching together. It reminded him of someone else, someone who used to wear the same pensive look whenever he thought about something really important. Aomine sighed and pushed the errant thought aside. His chest gave a small twinge. Kise knew him better than anyone else. If he were around right now, he might have been able to give Aoi the answer she was searching for.

"Kinda like you and Papa, right?" There was that barely noticeable tremble of her lip again. It was that look, the one she wore now, that had the ability to tug at him in a way no one could.

"Yeah. Kinda like us, kiddo."

 

* * *

 

"Aominecchi! You didn't come to practice yesterday and there was this new move I wanted to try. I'm sure it'll be the one that'll beat you! You'll see, I won't lose!" Kise's voice trilled behind him and the sound made Aomine wince.

The blond always was louder than everyone else on the team, a drastic change from the company he usually kept. Tatsu couldn't be more different from Teikou's resident copycat. Kise, who was overenthusiastic about everything especially when it came to basketball, usually bounced around like he'd had one too many energy drinks. Even after the two years he'd known the blond, the constant theatrics and exuberance Kise displayed never waned. He found a certain comfort in that, more so when his own apathy and disregard for everything steadily worsened. There was never mistaking Kise's presence, whereas it was often difficult to notice Tatsu was even there half the time.

Aomine kept his gaze skyward, yawning before he reached back to cradle his head atop the rooftop cement. "I didn't feel like goin'. Are you gonna give me shit about it, too? Already had to hear it from Tatsu and Akashi. Don't need you whinin' about it on top of everything else."

"I-" Kise paused and took a seat next to the ace. From his peripheral, Aomine could see the blond peering at him with a mixture of curiosity and reluctance. Finally, Kise said, "Did something happen? I thought Kurokocchi was just having a bad day, but you're wearing the same expression. It's been that way for a while, actually."

"Hah? I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Look, if you'd rather not tell me, that's fine. But don't be mean about it by lying. I know, okay? I  _know_. About  _you_  know. The thing you don't want everyone else to know."

A sigh escaped. "He told you."

"He didn't need to. You don't give me enough credit sometimes. Baka Aominecchi, I can see it. I do know you better than anyone."

"Does everyone else know?"

"Nah, just me. At least, I think it's just me. But you know Akashicchi and that weird ability he's got. Maybe they know, too. I don't get why you have to hide it anyway. It's not like we're going to say anything. I think it's cute! Even if you  _are_  taking Kurokocchi's attention away."

"Don't think you'll have to worry about that anymore. Shit's over."

"Aww, really? I'm sorry, Aominecchi. Really, I am."

Kise placed a sympathetic hand on Aomine's shoulder and for once, the ace didn't bother pushing it away. He couldn't be bothered to put in the effort. "Yeah, well. Shit happens."

"You don't come to practice anymore. Hardly ever. Did that have something to do with it?"

Aomine thought about it for a moment. While there was definitely a connection between the two, he found he didn't know if his loss of interest in basketball was influenced by his drop in interest in the phantom sixth (as Tatsu was now aptly named), or if it was the other way around. "Yeah. No." He sighed again. "Maybe? Eh, too many questions."

"I didn't mean to p-"

Without waiting for the blond to finish, he groaned and pushed himself to sitting position before turning toward Kise. "C'mon, idiot," he said, standing and grabbing hold of the basketball by his duffel bag. "Let's play some one-on-one."

Kise's face lit up like a Christmas tree, his excitement returning full force as their previous conversation was instantly forgotten. "Aominecchi just wants to get a look at my new moves! Don't worry, I'll definitely win this time!"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Let's go."

 

* * *

 

"Who's that?" Aoi had taken to laying out on her stomach, elbows propped up on the pillow pet she previously held against her.

"Hm? Who's who?"

"The really excited guy. I like him. He seems like he'd be fun to have around."

Aomine chuckled and nodded in agreement. "He was. Even if he got a little annoying sometimes."

"So? Who was he?"

"My best friend."

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @ [limitlessmonster](http://limitlessmonster.tumblr.com). :D


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